Amid the action of the campaign, the real drama of the new Pete film is watching a person who is still becoming comfortable with himself, and doing so on the biggest stage imaginable, unsure of how, or exactly how much, to share himself with the world: https://t.co/3ym03KBEnt
— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) November 8, 2021
It’s on Amazon Prime, and I’m interested, not least because now-Transportation Secretary Pete has been doing yeoman service recently…
Transportation @SecretaryPete: " If an underpass was constructed such that a bus carrying mostly Black and Puerto Rican kids to a beach, […] in New York was designed too low for it to pass by, that that obviously reflects racism that went into those design choices." pic.twitter.com/0XWkDZehYM
— The Hill (@thehill) November 8, 2021
Note, for the historical record: This was never disputed, much less secret, when I was growing up in the Bronx in the 1960s. Most of the grownups I knew worked for the city, and during beach seasons Moses was routinely applauded for ‘keeping Jones Beach safe for taxpayers’ by making it difficult for ‘the coloreds’ to access (so unlike Rockaway Beach, declared ‘spoiled’).
There is a direct line between people guffawing at Buttigieg's example of how transportation choices reflected racism and opposition to teaching about how racism inflected American decision-making. https://t.co/7sm93faCkO
— Philip Bump (@pbump) November 8, 2021
Moses' (correct) assumption was that the vast majority of car owners at the time were white, while black and Latino kids, in particular, would be more likely to take the bus to the beach. And Moses wanted to keep black and Latino kids from going to the beach. pic.twitter.com/Z9RJPcxKGe
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) November 8, 2021
this incident is very illustrative of how the people who laughed at buttigieg for using a real example of structural racism and the people who can’t stop screaming about CRT is just a big circle https://t.co/PUvDHdcyzE
— kilgore trout, uatx professor of turnip studies (@KT_So_It_Goes) November 9, 2021
The funniest bit is that he remains amazingly good at simple effective messaginghttps://t.co/irQ3291gLo
— veto players stan account (@Convolutedname) November 9, 2021
Poe Larity
No, but Sullivan is on 60 Minutes tonight to explain the horror of CRT.
When is John Cole going to be on 60 Minutes?
opiejeanne
Oh Lord, Sullivan. Had a guy yelling at me on Twitter about how teaching CRT was making kids hate people, hate cops, hate other people based on the color of their sinks (sic).
I muted him; he got really belligerent after I pointed out the word “sinks” and didn’t recognize it as an error.
Anne Laurie
@Poe Larity: Wait for my next, late-night post (scheduled for 11:45pm EST).
sab
OT I have a new cat, not very well domesticated. When I turn on the light in the middle of the night when he is trying to sleep, he is significantly pissed off. I mean furious. Will bite my toes if he can find them. He thought domesticity meant he could sleep and eat in peace. Be careful what you promise. Food and warmth is easy Smoorh sleep is a big promise.
Gin & Tonic
In other news, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s Prime Minister, says that Poland, Latvia and Lithuania are considering invoking NATO Article IV, which calls for all members’ “consultation” on issues of concern. This is obviously related to Belarus’ weaponization of refugees.
The US does not currently have an Ambassador to NATO because the seditionist little shit Josh Hawley is being a little shit and blocking ambassadorial appointments.
Mike E
@opiejeanne: tbf autocorrect is the true tyranny here.
eclare
@Gin & Tonic: Thank you for keeping us updated on this.
Yutsano
Sorry but when I see @SecretaryPete I think of this. Regret I do not.
sab
Andrew Sullivan may come to America but he will never be one of us because however long he is here his mind has been competely closed since he got to grammar school that let him take the A level tests.
He is actually intellectually a tiny person. He gamed Oxford. Every large instutution makes small mistakes. He was one of theirs.
Omnes Omnibus
OT: The WisDems comedy fundraiser that just finished just raised $85,000. Is there any chance that this blog can beat that?
sab
I love Secretary Pete, and Chasten and the kids more. I hope Gus is well.
zhena gogolia
@sab: That is hilarious! I’ve had many cats who have pissed me off by waking me up in the middle of the night, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a CAT being pissed off that a human woke them up!
Gin & Tonic
@Omnes Omnibus: If it requires comedy, then, sadly, no.
JaySinWa
@opiejeanne: In fairness I am a bit judgemental about odd colored sinks. White or stainless please.
Omnes Omnibus
@Gin & Tonic: It was done as a roast of Ron Johnson. A lot of it wasn’t funny. Maybe it’s just me, but I usually don’t find the roast format funny. I took part out of a sense of obligation. Also, my comment was meant as WaterGirl bait.
Aussie sheila
@sab:
A second rate mind who fell on his feet when he decided to make his career as a wannabe intellectual in a polity that is far more socially open than the UK. As an Irish person in the UK his career would have been a lot less ‘glittering’. The pity of it is that he probably realises it deep down, but is thrilled to behave to others in the US the way he would have been treated had he stayed to make his way in old blights.
He is really cringe as the kids say.
James E Powell
@sab:
There is nothing about education or elite schools that prevents or reduces the number of assholes.
VeniceRiley
I am watching Lisa Ling. Tonight it’s the Lavender Scare.
Wih my thanks for those that went before, and all the progress made.
mrmoshpotato
@opiejeanne:
Double basin or GTFO! As for color, why hate stainless steel?
Matt McIrvin
I saw someone nitpicking the whole thing about Moses on the grounds that the sentence about the low parkway bridges didn’t mention race at all–that was in the FOLLOWING sentence, about the bus permits, so in fact Buttigieg was wrong, there was no racism in the design choices, those were merely classist…
sab
@Aussie sheila: Yes.
sab
@James E Powell: In my mismanaged high school career I got a big wallop of both. Fancy DC boarding school I could have done without. Even my one year in snooty local private school for girls with indifferent teachers. I do not know what my social climbing mother was intending ( I do believe she meant well) because my local public high school did quite well at educating all of us to education, if not to the country club.
sab
@James E Powell: Elite school exposure increases the number of assholes. You don’t get to be a captain of industry by being psychologically healthy. You need to be off the charts on various personality disorders.
L85NJGT
Pete is what wealthy white liberals want in their c-suites. Which is fine as far as that goes. He’ll be a fixture in various administrations from now until the end of time, but as far as rank and file appeal, he’s a dry well.
SuzieC
I watched the documentary. Pete is a gifted politician with a brilliant future.
Yutsano
@Aussie sheila: Oh damn. He’s Irish? May my Celtic ancestors* shame his soul and send the bean si wail for his imminent death.**
* It turns out my grandfather is an Irish citizen, if we can somehow get his adoption certificate from the state of Missouri. Then all we need to do is register with the Irish government and poof that’s it! It doesn’t give me citizenship unfortunately, but it might work for my mom.
** I wish death upon no one. But I shan’t be sorry if his evils catch up with him post haste.
Omnes Omnibus
@Yutsano: Catholic with Irish ancestry. Not born in Ireland.
dww44
@L85NJGT: I don’t know about this as neither I or my husband, both white, are not wealthy elites. Seniors, yes, but we are able to spot a real talent when we see it. What I see is, yes, a gifted politician, but one who is willing to do the work and learn by doing to supplement his talent of speaking clearly and hopefully and with plain good sense.
The other thing that I see is that we Democrats embrace diversity and differences. We shall see if we can prevail over the intransigent, backwards looking, and regressive in every way Republican party. If we win, the country wins. If they win we and the country lose. It’s a critically important war that we are fighting.
sab
@Aussie sheila: I am old, much older than him, and everything he writes makes me cringe.” I hope my kids don’t see this. I used to read this guy (although I thought he was an idiot), all the “intelligensia” thought he was brilliant.@Yutsano:
Hang in here. The Irish killed that dentist who needed an abortion so that her dying fetuas didn’t kill her.
US often sucks but most every other countey is worse. We need to keep it that way ( we suck less.)
sab
That leaves a lot. Want to learn canine? Or froggish? Or feli e?
Ruckus
@James E Powell:
Most people who put on the asshole suit rarely remember how to take it off. Another way to say this – Once an asshole, always an asshole. It’s been proven right dramatically more often than any exception would indicate.
Eolirin
@sab: And then, in light of that, they legalized abortion. As we head in the opposite direction here.
I’m not sure most places with functioning democracies and solid economies are any worse than us, and I think you can argue a number are good sight better, simply because they made sure health care and higher education are not something that bankrupts you, so the stress of daily life is far less for most people as there’s less crushing debt or risk of suddenly having crushing debt (also often better labor protections), though they have different and unique problems. And if you’re wealthier here there are probably fewer trade offs to be made for that. But that’s not most people.
satby
@sab: none of my cats are allowed in the bedroom. None of my pets at all. We all need a good nights sleep. Besides, I’m allergic.
I used to let some in years ago, but we all do better now.
satby
@dww44: Yes, he is a real talent, but also a really decent, nice guy who believes in public service and the common good. And that’s threatening to the professional cynics at Politico and The Hill.
Geminid
@satby: I would like to see Pete Buttigieg take a shot at Indiana Senator Todd Young in 2024, but only if he thinks he has a real chance of winning that seat. He’s a shrewd and pragmatic man, so I don’t think he will try unless 2024 is a good environment for Democrats in Indiana. It might be, if the economy is good enough.